Skills and experience are often the two key aspects to look for when finding new talent, however are there other things which could be more important or attributes that should be added to the equation to find the perfect person for the role? – What about attitude? To me it’s paramount!!

There is a lot of focus on company culture and finding the perfect fit when recruiting, even more so over experience and skills. More employers than ever are looking for people who are going to fit into their company and have the right attitude to work effectively with the people around them.

What does good attitude get you and how can you encourage it?

Helpfulness

Having a culture which involves helping one another is crucial to any company’s success. Employers want people who are going to assisting in any way possible – whether that be for clients or colleagues. Being helpful will help the whole company achieve its goals, nobody wants to work with people who constantly say, “that’s not my job”. It’s always good to have a team player who will help in any situation they can, if possible – no matter how powerful their position is.

Competition in the workplace should be between you and your competitors not between your colleagues. Having your employees focus on helpfulness will reduce internal competition, boost motivation and morale and help them all work towards the same goals rather than individual ones.

Being a small company and having employees with innovative ideas is great. You need team members who are going to think outside the box, who are going to focus on company goals but bring something new to the table. As a company your focus should be finding diverse people – diverse in thought and in innovation. Read our Diversity blog here https://www.oakstone.co.uk/diversity/

Encourage innovative ideas by listening and taking on board others ideas – forget about surveys, employees want to have conversations. Schedule time to listen to employees and brainstorm ideas with one another to make the most of the diverse thinking your company has at its disposal.

Commitment

Everybody wants employees who are committed and dedicated to not only the role they have but also to the company they work for. Finding someone with the right working attitude will ensure they are committed to working hard for themselves and everyone around them.

Commitment can only happen if people are happy. Take the time to listen to them and ask what they think can improve. By asking what could change or the problems they have eliminates internal gossip, making the working environment more positive.

Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is just positivity in action, and if your company is going to be full of great people with great attitudes, enthusiasm is something you should look out for. The people working for you should be passionate about the environment they’re in and the people they work with.

To keep existing employees enthusiastic about the company and the role they’re in, keep work exciting and keep them involved in its growth and plans – focus on the fun and encourage thought and idea sharing. The more ideas people contribute the more of a bond they will have with the company and the innovation behind it.

Respect

Respect should be something which is experienced by everyone – not just managers and senior employees. It should also be conveyed by everyone. Finding people who have respect for one another will create a positive, professional and open environment which will contribute to company culture.

Respect must be earnt whether you’re a senior employee or not and the only way to do that it by working hard and treating others with respect. Encouraging respectful behaviour is crucial to a great working environment.

All these qualities and attitudes boil down to positivity. When hiring, positivity is the number one attitude trait you should be looking out for! Nobody wants to listen to their co workers constantly talking about how much they hate their job or how much they hate the company – it casts a negative cloud over everything and everyone – and these people can be found in even the greatest and most positive companies – watch out for them – they are cancerous.